Thousands Gather at Mad Max Festival Wasteland

We got a front-row seat for the biggest post-apocalyptic festival in the world! We’re talking of course about the one and only Wasteland Weekend, the 5-day fully immersive desert festival held in the Mojave Desert in California. Celebrating their 13th year in 2022, Wasteland continued to BRING IT with “Mad Max” inspired vehicles, camps, performances, and costumes.

Yes, they even have a freaking Thunderdome!

When we say ‘fully immersive,’ we mean it. Every single attendee- press, staff, performers, and vendors- must be in appropriately themed costumes. (Including yours truly!) Sure, my kit isn’t perfect yet, but that’s also part of the fun. Getting inspired, learning new tricks for distressing and crafting, and bonding with fellow Wastelanders about such things while having a drink at the Atomic Café.

While the premiere post-apocalyptic festival did take a year off due to Covid in 2020, the fully-vaccinated 2021 event was highly successful. 2022’s return was even bigger. Boasting their largest band lineup (this is also a music festival, after all) and car cruise to date, the official photos speak for themselves. And, if all THAT isn’t enough for you, there’s even a post apocalyptic swimsuit contest!

“It’s exciting to see so many new people experiencing this event for the first time and adding so positively to this fictional world we’ve been building,” co-owner and Event Director Jared Butler (no relation) said. “It’s crazy to think that word is still spreading and the community is still growing after more than ten years.”

“The first time someone steps into the Wasteland, they usually get hooked,” Butler added. “Their regular world never seems quite the same after.”

[These are all courtesy of the amazing photography staff. More can be found on the official event gallery on their website here.]

Wasteland Weekend takes place September 27th-October 1st, 2023. Tickets are on sale now. Wasteland Weekend’s cyberpunk themed sister event NEOTROPOLIS will return April 24th-28th, 2024. Tickets will go on sale sometime in early October 2023.

You can check out more about Wasteland Weekend on their official website here, and on their official Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.

Author

Mary Anne Butler

Mary Anne Butler (Mab) has been part of the fast-paced world of journalism since she was 15, getting her start in album reviews and live concert coverage for a nationally published (print) music magazine. She eventually transitioned to online media, writing for such sites as UGO/IGN, ComicsOnline, Geek Magazine, Ace of Geeks, Aggressive Comix (where she is still Editor-in-Chief), Bleeding Cool (where she was News Editor), and now Nerdbot as Editor-In-Chief. Over the past 10 years, she’s built a reputation at conventions across the globe as a cosplayer (occasionally), photographer (constantly), panelist and moderator (mostly), and reporter (always). Interviews, reviews, observations, breaking news, and objective reporting are the name of the game for the founder of Harkonnen Knife Fight, a Dune-themed band with an international presence. Though she be but little, she is fierce.

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